How to Clean and Repair Christmas Baubles

Decorating the Christmas tree is a joyous experience for most of us. Once the tree is set up, we eagerly await Christmas. We start looking for gifts for our loved ones and thinking about how we’ll spend the holiday season. However, during the decorating process, we sometimes discover that our favourite glass baubles have lost their original charm and need a little care. How can you restore their sparkle? How can you repair damaged Christmas baubles? We’ll cover that in today’s post!

Dusting Baubles

Most Christmas baubles accumulate a layer of dust after being stored in the attic for a year. Even when stored in boxes, fine dust particles can find their way inside. How do you cleanglass baubles of dust? Very gently, of course.

Use a very soft brush or a soft cloth made of cotton or microfibre. If the bauble has glitter, sequins, or similar decorations, use a cloth with a smooth texture to avoid catching on the embellishments. Gently dust the bauble and decide if it needs further wet cleaning.

Washing Baubles

For dirt that has settled on the bauble, try using a damp cloth. Use water with a small amount of washing-up liquid. Dip the cloth in the solution, wring it out, and gently scrub the soiled area. Prepare a second cloth. After washingthe glass bauble, polish it with the dry cloth to restore its shine.

For tougher stains, washing-up liquid may not be enough. In that case, try a solution of water with a few drops of vinegar. This works especially well for removing food stains (e.g., from baubles used in table centrepieces) and fingerprints. A small amount of vinegar won’t harm the paint or other decorations.

What to Do with Rusty Bauble Hooks?

Do you have cherishedhandmade Christmas baubles passed down from your grandmother, but their hooks have started to rust? That doesn’t mean you have to get rid of them! Carefully remove the hooks from the baubles and clean them using WD40. Yes – this multipurpose rust remover works wonders even on bauble hooks! It will not only remove the rust but also protect the hooks from future corrosion. Once they are clean and treated, gently place the hooks back into the baubles. And you're done!

How to Mask Chipped Paint on a Bauble?

Cracked or chipped paint doesn’t mean you need to discard your favourite,handmade baubles. You can easily hide the defect using permanent markers in solid colours (there are even glitter versions available!), spray paint, or other products. In the chipped area, draw a small star, snowman, or try to recreate the original pattern.

If you’re not artistically inclined, you can simply paint the bauble in one solid colour (or cover it with glue and dip it in glitter). Planning a boho-style Christmas tree? Cover the bauble in glue, then wrap it in embroidery thread, ribbon, or decorative twine. Every bauble can be given a second life!

How to Restore the Shine to Glass Baubles?

If you want to bring back the beautiful shine of yourglass Christmas baubles, try this recipe: mix half a litre of water with two drops of glycerine. Apply the solution to a soft cloth and then use it to polish each glass bauble one by one. This bauble spa treatment will make them shine beautifully on your Christmas tree, reflecting the light from the Christmas lights. Additionally, the glycerine will form a protective layer that prevents dust from settling on the baubles.

Inspect Your Baubles When Taking Down the Tree

Take a close look at your Christmas baubles when it’s time to take down the tree. If you notice that any of them are beyond repair after this season, simply throw them away. This will help you keep your holiday decorations organised and make room for new ones. It’s also a good time to carry out minor repairs, so you won’t have to do them next year when you want to get the tree ready as quickly as possible.

Remember to properly store your baubles!

If you want your baubles to remain in perfect condition and last until next Christmas, make sure you store them properly.Glass baubles are best kept in the boxes they came in, as they’re specially designed for that purpose. If you’ve discarded the original packaging, you can store them in shoeboxes. Just make sure to separate the baubles and secure them. For example, you can wrap them in pieces of paper towel or newspaper.

Store your baubles in a part of the house that’s rarely used to minimise the risk of them being crushed or knocked over. Make sure the area is dry. If stored in a metal garage, the metal hooks may rust.